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Pecacheu

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  1. Funny
    Pecacheu got a reaction from TylerD321 in removing hard disk from imac and connect it to my main pc to read files   
    Haha yeah I wish I had known about stuff like this back many, many years ago when I had a problem where my MacBook Pro just stopped turning on, and in order to get my files off it I wound up purchasing an entire used Mac Mini on Craigslist just to recover the files, only to later realize there were workarounds I could've used with my Windows PCs. But hey, I got my files off in the end, so all's well that ends well.
  2. Informative
    Pecacheu got a reaction from ki8aras in VR Gaming with HTC Vive / Other Headsets via USB-C! (VirtualLink, Thunderbolt 3)   
    So this is a bit of an idea I had recently... Potentially even an idea for exploration in an LTT video! I've been thinking about how it would be possible to outfit the HTC Vive (the headset I have) with USB-C instead of the included cable.
     
    Prologue: I had an opportunity a while ago to try out one of those wireless VR gaming backpack things in a store once that turns the Vive (I think it was the Vive version if I recall) into a wireless headset, and honestly... I could feel the lag vs a cable, it's just not the same. I just don't think the tech is there yet, even as impressive as all the fancy 5G or WiGig tech is... it's still not good enough.
     
    So since I'm going to be sticking to cables for now, I was trying to think of ways to take that bulky tri-cable setup and turn it into a single USB-C cable, coming straight from the headset, that goes straight intro the PC.
     
    VirtualLink is basically the failed attempt at a standard that is the reason NVIDIA puts USB-C connectors on their GPUs. It's a cool name but technically not the same thing as USB-C, it's an alt-mode. I believe the only difference to DisplayPort alt-mode is that it provides 2 DP lanes and a USB 3.2 lane instead of 1 DP lane and a USB 3.1 lane. (Though I might be wrong on the numbers there as there's conflicting info and even Wikipedia seems a little confused tbh)
     
    Point is, there's liely barely any practical performance difference between them (5Gbps vs 10 for the USB, basically irrelevant, speed does not equal latency and only the latter matters much to VR sensors), so there's no real reason to stress out about not using purpose-built USB-C based adapters. And VirtualLink-compatible hardware is practically non-existent because it's basically a failed standard.
     
    So with that out of the way, the problem we need to solve is carrying the USB 3, HDMI, and power for the headset all through a single cable. The first two are easy enough... It's the third that gets tricky. You might recall this adapter by Accell that made the headlines a little while ago, meant for adapting an Oculus Rift to using USB-C. But it only carries USB and HDMI, no power... Fine for the Rift since it can be powered by USB, but with the Vive, that barrel plug is required!
     
    The HTC Vive is powered via it's Link Box by 12VDC at 2A... Though it will work basically fine off 1A from my own testing with a bench supply. Interestingly, it also seems to work fine at 9V 2A. Additionally, a surprising fact is that the Link Box is completely optional and unnecessary! The only requirement for using the Vive without the Link Box is that your PC has Bluetooth built-in, and that you can find a female barrel jack to sacrifice that happens to be the right size! (Btw, I've actually noticed slightly better performance without the Link Box in some cases, looks like the radios in it take up some of that precious bandwidth, lol)
     
    Anyhow, that 12V power requirement is probably good news as that's a standard voltage for USB PD! So if the GPU's output port, or the USB-C port of a gaming laptop as another example, can supply 12V via USB PD then theoretically, this should be able to work. However, I have no clue if that's the case. For example the new laptop I've got (well, purchased, but it hasn't come in yet as it's a special order) lists the max wattage of the Thunderbolt 3 ports and claims to support USB PD (though doesn't say if that's for input only or both ways), but doesn't mention supported voltages anywhere. It can supply up to 15W, which would be 5V 3A or 12V 1.25A.
     
    Of course, the next problem is what to do at the other end of the cable, the headset end. That's where a USB-C hub comes in! These are easy enough to find on the cheap, and any should do as long as it's got an HDMI port and USB 3.0. Here's one for $25 for example: https://amazon.com/dp/B07QXMNF1X I have one for example with 3 USB 3.0 ports and one 4K/60Hz HDMI. I like it because it doesn't have any of that useless bloat like a bunch of 2.0 ports and a multi-card reader. Just the essentials so it's nice and compact.
     
    That said I haven't tested to ensure that it works with my headset, but I can confirm that (besides working with a phone which is what I bought it for) it works with a desktop through the USB-C port on the GPU. You can connect a display, USB 3.0 devices, and USB 2.0 devices, all at once, without a hitch. Of course that still doesn't solve our power delivery issue...
     
    For that I think the solution might be one of these! That's a USB-C PD trigger, it simply tricks the USB-C device it's connected to into supplying the correct output voltage you want... assuming that device is capable of outputting said voltage. If we set it to 12V, then connecting it to the headset should allow a 12V supply over a single cable! The only thing to watch out for would be that the hub you're using provides a USB Type-C passthrough port compatible with USB PD (up to 100W of passthrough power). That should allow the higher voltage to pass through the cable while the lower-voltage 5V is simultaneously supplied to power the hub's own USB ports! Yup that's right, two voltages at once. It really works. Isn't USB-C freakin' amazing?
     
    And that brings us to the final problem... Err, well... where the heck to find such a long USB-C cable! That I don't know, but I'm sure you could find one if you looked hard enough.
     
     
    Alright so I know this is a long post but I'd love thoughts on this, not so much a question but I'm hoping to incite a discussion about um... odd VR and USB-C things.
  3. Informative
    Pecacheu got a reaction from TVwazhere in Arctic Case: Console-Sized, Liquid-Cooled, RGB!   
    No, I found a BIOS that works with 16x to dual 8x risers (they are used in servers to double the PCI slot count). Haven’t tested that yet but I have tried my single 1080 Ti with 8x vs 16x slot on another mobo to see if there is any performance loss, and I didn’t find any, so I think this might just be crazy enough to work.
  4. Like
    Pecacheu got a reaction from StrudelMan in Super-Compact Console-Size VR Rig (& Ultimate RGB Sync Solution!)   
    EDIT:
    Long story short, this post isn't really relevant anymore. The orignal project I was panning here has evolved into this:
     
    IDK, here was my original planned build because why not...
     
    Base Parts List:
    $300  - Intel i7-7700K -- http://amazon.com/dp/B01MXSI216
    $60    - ASRock H110M-ITX/AC -- http://amazon.com/dp/B01AVPBOFI
    $125  - G.SKILL TridentZ RGB 16GB (Because why not?)
    $50    - Logitech G410 Atlas RGB Keyboard (Tenkeyless, to match the "compact" theme of the build!)
    $40    - RGB 120mm Fans, 3 Pack (These sure are cheap. Too cheap?) -- http://amazon.com/dp/B0748C844
    $650  - GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition Used
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